The divine place Rishikesh: Best places to visit, things to do and eat
My final destination while exploring uttarakhand was rishikesh. Rishikesh is a perfect place for spiritual seekers, nature beauty lovers and adventurers. It is a place not only for yogis but also for non yogis. As, this city is a best combination of swashbucklers and sanctity. So I will tell you about this place, the adventure sports and other things you can do here.
It is a place where many ashrams and yoga schools are there where you can spend time with yourself and find your soul. That's why it is known as the yoga capital city.
You can also do yoga in the early morning near the Ganga river bank in Lakshman jhula or ram jhula. PC: Priyansaxena
Pilgrims and devotees from all over India visit here to wash off their bad karmas in the pure Ganga river. They believe that if they take a dip in the holy Ganga river water , they will get pure.
There are ashrams located here near the Ganga river bank also, like the Beatles ashram, Parmarth niketan. It is also an incredible place to spend your weekend , as you can get off from the hurry and scurry of the city.
The peaceful ghats and ashrams really help you to placate your inner soul. The locals of Rishikesh are ridiculously welcoming and the food is great here. This city serves only vegan food, no meat or any other non veg meal is cooked here.
Rishikesh sightseeing is the best package for devotees who want to enjoy ganga aarti or visit famous ashrams. I highly recommend the rishikesh tourist adventure zone for adventure lovers. As I also have been guided through it.
How can you reach
I reached Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun and took an autorickshaw to ISBT. The autorickshaw charged 10/- rs. And from there I took the bus to Rishikesh. I have already booked a Volvo bus online. It takes 1 hour 25 minutes only.
Where to stay in Rishikesh
Rishikesh is a tourist city where many foreigners and thousands or lakhs of devotees visit, so there are many ashrams located here and hotels also. If you want to meditate or do yoga to find your soul you can stay in tapovan.
But I stayed in Parmarth niketan. The welcoming, trained and super friendly staff did so much for us. I highly recommend you to stay in Parmarth niketan . It's really a very safe place. They serve a very good quality of food. When my stomach was upset, for 2 days they completed my food requirements that I needed.
Day 1: The fascinating city:
When any tourist talks about Rishikesh, their thoughts run to Lakshman jhula, ram jhula and triveni ghat. So my first day was not about any adventure activities, I was just wandering on the streets of rishikesh. In the evening time there is so much chaos, horns from the vehicles. That really creates so much confusion, but I enjoyed it!!!!!
There's a very famous ghat road which gives a way towards Triveni ghat. In the evening time it is totally filled with pilgrims carrying leaves containing a marigold, petals of rose, jasmine flowers and joss sticks.
After that I visited Lakshman jhula. You can go from Triveni ghat to Lakshman jhula through auto rickshaw and take a charge of 10/- rs. This place is the main tourist attraction here, as you need to cross this bridge either by walking or take a boat which charges 10/- per person.
And I saw cows strolling on the bridge, motorbikes, bicycles passing by them. If you think to go to the other side of Laxman jhula by crossing the bridge, it will take around 10-15 minutes as there's so much rush on it.
On the other side of the bridge there's parmarth niketan which is one of the most famous ashrams in rishikesh. It is worth visiting here to see the beautiful structure of ashram. I saw idols of different gods in Hindu religion there.
Pilgrims generally prefer to attend ganga aarti in Lakshman jhula rather than triveni ghat. The Ganga river flows from under this bridge. The Hindu priest does aarti by facing the river with lighting the lamps and enchanting the prayers to the goddess.
After attending ganga aarti my stomach was growling so I decided to try some street food . I tried samosa, dosa, pani puri in ram jhula. The dose of Madras cafe was incredible. Their service was very nice. All the food items were amazing and I wanted to eat them all again but I couldn't because I was worried that I'd get sick.
Day 2: The day all about adventure:
My second day was all about venturing the adventure spots located here. There are various adventure sports centres at just a short distance. Rafting sports are open from September to June. I booked my rafting through red chilli adventures. I chose to raft through Shivpuri.
I was so excited for the ride. The instructor had given us the safety guidelines. After that a group of 6 people sat with me on the raft and then we started our breathtaking experience.
That was a thrilling ride of 2 hours and 30 minutes with a distance of 16 km. And the best part was that when those white water waves splashed on our raft, that was such an exhilarating experience.
I just wanted to redo the raft ride again, as it doesn't only give you the adrenaline rush but also the perfect and scenic views of Shivalik hills and river Ganga. Then I ventured to mohanchatti for bungee jumping. I chose to do jumping at a height of 83 meters. It has an entry fee of 100/- rs. You can get coffee, tea and snacks like burgers, sandwiches etc.
After trying these adventure sports, I just went to laxman jhula to attend the Ganga aarti and then come back to my place.
When's the best time to visit rishikesh ?
You can visit here in November to January so that you can enjoy it to the fullest. I highly recommend you to not come here in June or July, because of so much rush and hubbub in the city, as this place is located at the foot of himalayas so the city is quite cool. So people from all over India mostly visit here in the summers.
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